CSMMU wants to give MBBS degrees to failed students

The vice chancellor of CSMMU has urged the Medical Council of India to grant degrees to students who have not been able to clear first year exams even after trying for as long as 15 years.

advertisement

Amir Haque

Lucknow

December 8, 2011

UPDATED: December 8, 2011 23:32 IST

Probably taking a cue from Bollywood blockbuster Munnabhai MBBS, Lucknow's Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU) has been contemplating giving doctor's degree to even those students who despite repeated attempts have failed to clear their examinations.

In a move that could put scores of lives at risk, the vice chancellor of the university has urged the Medical Council of India (MCI) to grant degrees to students who have not been able to clear first year exams even after trying for as long as 15 years.

CSMMU VC Prof D.K. Gupta said, "There is a distance between dangerous and safe. They will not be academically oriented but anybody who stays in medical profession for 15 years and continuously reads the subject obviously cannot be so dumb."

The varsity, however, would offer the special concession only to the students from scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) categories.

"Based on previous performance, let the Medical Council of India allow the aforementioned students (SC/ST category) to pass the examination, as they have failed for over many-many years," the VC advocated.

The university has a huge backlog of students who have been failing for years. The MCI rules allow SC/ST students to appear indefinitely for exams despite repeated failures.

The MCI was yet to respond to the vice chancellor's suggestion.

The university's proposal has stirred a huge debate. While the reserved category students were in favour of the move, there were also those who believed that if the proposal goes through it would deepen the caste divide.

Students debate the proposal

Medical student Yatindra Yadav said, "Seniors don't want to come forward. The proposal has gone. If we come in front of the cameras, university officials would not like it. They will not let us pass."

Another student Raghvendra Singh said, "Something should be done to get those, who have been struggling for the last 10 years, ahead."

However, opposing the idea, another student Sumit said, "This is completely useless. What is the purpose of this? Then they should just stop teaching and hand out degrees just like that."

"Such things create a difference ... and create hatred among students. It leads to bias in the society," argued another medico Nayak.

IMA rubbishes VC's idea

Reacting to the university's proposal, Indian Medical Association (IMA) president Dr Vinay Aggarwal said, "It is surprising, rather laughable that a vice chancellor of a medical university is talking like this."

"Minimum qualification has to be attained by them before getting an MBBS registration or registration to practice. If unqualified persons are passed like this and if they got to the public how many lives will be put to risk," he asked.

Medical practitioner Dr Mukesh Bhagat said, "I don't understand the logic behind the suggestion. If a student is not competent enough to clear exams how do they expect him to work as a qualified doctor?"